No disqualification for Limerick motorist caught speeding on busy motorway

A MOTORIST from Limerick who was detected travelling at high speed on the M7 motorway has avoided an immediate disqualification.

John Cross, aged 50, who has an address St Lawrence’s Park, Garryowen was prosecuted before Nenagh District Court after he was charged with dangerous driving relating to an incident at Clashnevin, Nenagh.

The detection was made more than two years ago – on May 16, 2020 – during the first Covid-19 lockdown.

However, Judge Cephas Power accepted a guilty plea to the lesser charge of careless driving after he was told this was acceptable to the State and gardai.

When the facts were outlined, the court heard that Mr Cross told the garda who stopped him for speeding that he had been returning (to Limerick) from feeding horses in County Laois earlier in the day.

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Mr Cross's counsel, appealing for Mr Cross not to be disqualified, said that his client was the sole driver in his family and that he needs his driving licence.

Mr Cross, he added, had not taken notice of the speed at which he had been travelling when he had been stopped and did not realise he was 50km/h above the posted speed limit.

Having heard the evidence, Judge Power described the speed - 170km/h - as “significantly over the 120km/h speed limit”.

However, he commented that he would give Mr Cross the benefit of the doubt that he hadn’t realised how fast he was travelling at the time.

After formally recording a conviction (in relation to the careless driving charge) he imposed a fine of €700.

Exercising his judicial discretion, he said he would not impose a immediate disqualification.

While not a matter for the court, Mr Cross will receive penalty points on his licence as a consequence of his conviction for careless driving.